Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream

Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache
Salt&Straw Ice Cream Copycat Recipe

It’s that back-to-school time of year and reminds me of days when all the boys were in the house. We had a “before school starts” tradition of downtown Portland—eating at the food trucks and finishing it off with Salt&Straw Ice Cream. So, in honor of past traditions and memories of Portland, here’s the first copycat recipe—my all-time favorite flavor from Salt&Straw: Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache.

Don’t be intimidated by home-churned ice cream! This ice cream base recipe only takes 5 minutes. Then you let it chill in the refrigerator. Churning only takes about 10 minutes, because you stop churning once the ice cream is at the soft serve stage. Add deliciousness with mix-ins while you are layering ice cream in cute little ice cream containers. Another wait time while it freezes completely… and you have home-churned, creamy, amazing ice cream. Very little work on your part—but a lot of patience while it chills in the freezer!

The Salt&Straw milk based recipe for this ice cream is published in several places and I included it in the notes of my recipe, but here’s three places to find it, since it’s amazing and creamy and delicious:

https://saltandstraw.com/blogs/news/we-teamed-up-with-thrillist-to-level-up-your-homemade-ice-cream/

https://recipes.oregonlive.com/recipes/ice-cream-base

The Salt&Straw Ice Cream Cookbook is loaded with their amazing ice cream recipes and their story. It’s an incredible cookbook!

This post might contain affiliate links, please check out my full disclosure policy. I only refer products I have tried and tested.

The Alternative Milk Experiment

I know many people suffer from lactose intolerance, or like me, would like a big bowl of ice cream but try to limit dairy in my diet. I have been experimenting with various milk alternatives. I didn’t want to go exclusively with coconut milk because it seems polarizing—you either like coconut flavor or you don’t. Recently, I tried several oat milk ice creams and really enjoyed them, so I started there.

First try: just oat milk, instead of whole milk and cream. It tasted fine, but was very icy—almost like a sorbet.

Second try: creamy oat milk plus creamy cashew milk. I had found some recipes that used cashews in place of cream. The results were very icy—just like oat milk alone.

Third try: creamy oat milk plus oat milk creamer. Definitely a creamier result. It was very good ice cream, but the “sweet cream” flavor was very strong. If that was the flavor I was going for—it would have been a perfect result.

Fourth try: creamy oat milk plus Country Crock plant cream. A creamy result so closely resembling the milk base of whole milk and heavy cream that you can’t tell the difference. It was a neutral flavor as well, so you can add any extra flavoring you desire. It was the winner and you will see the results in the recipe below!

Ingredients for the Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream:

Ice Cream Base:

Almond Brittle:

• Granulated sugar
• Light corn syrup
• Unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• Sliced almonds
• Baking powder
• Vanilla

Salted Ganache:

• Quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Country Crock plant cream: If you are keeping this ice cream non-dairy, use this product for the salted ganache as well. Oat milk in ganache just makes a sticky product because it doesn’t set up completely. However, it still tastes good. But the plant cream creates the perfect ganache. If dairy isn’t a problem, or not a problem in small amounts, just use heavy cream.
• Kosher salt: Kosher salt or sea salt has larger crystals and not the extra ingredients found in table salt. Remonds Salt is my preferred salt. If you use table salt, use half the amount.
  

How to Make Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream:

Timing trick: Make the ice cream base, the almond brittle and the salted ganache the day before you want to eat your ice cream. Churn your ice cream the next morning—it only takes 10 minutes and 5 more minutes to fill your ice cream container with your soft-serve, almond brittle and salted ganache cubes. Leave it in the freezer for 5-6 hours and you will have delicious home-churned ice cream for dessert!

Ice Cream Base:

1. Combine sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Add corn syrup and oat milk to medium pot. Stir. Then add sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk to combine.
3. Transfer to a container, like a quart jar, and refrigerate until very chilled, at least 6 hours, but best at 24 hours. Stir before adding to an ice cream maker. (Can be stored for 1 week or frozen for 3 months—but fully thaw before using it.)

Almond Brittle:

1. Calibrate your thermometer and adjust cooking temperature accordingly. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Add sugar, corn syrup and water to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until syrup comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Add butter and salt and stir well. Attach candy thermometer and continue to cook to 290° F.
3. Remove from heat. Quickly and thoroughly stir in almonds, baking soda, and vanilla. It will bubble. Quickly pour mixture on the lined baking sheet and spread with buttered knife or metal spatula until an even layer and ¼” thick. Let sit uncovered to cool—about 1 hour. Break into ¼ to ½” pieces. Store covered.

Salted Ganache:

1. Line a bread pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
2. Heat cream in microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Heat for another 15 seconds if needed to melt chocolate. Add salt and stir until incorporated.
3. Pour into lined pan. Set in fridge to harden quickly, about 10 minutes. When hardened, cut into mini cubes ¼” x ¼”. Store in refrigerator in covered container.

Churn and Layer Ice Cream:

1. Stir ice cream base, add vanilla and pour into prepared ice cream maker. Churn until reaches soft serve stage.
2. Add a few spoon-fulls of soft serve ice cream to the base of a freezer friendly container. Sprinkle with almond brittle pieces and squares of salted ganache. Swirl slightly into the ice cream base with a butter knife. Add more ice cream to the container and repeat with sprinkles of almond brittle and salted ganache. Swirl slightly. Continue to alternate with ice cream and sprinkled almond brittle and salted ganache until you top the container with the soft serve ice cream.
3. Cover with parchment paper or wax paper—pressing to the surface of the ice cream (can overlap the edges of the container). Cover with a lid and place in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Will keep for 3 months.

This could likely become one of your favorite ice cream flavors… and if you can’t visit Salt&Straw in Portland, make it at home!

–Kim

Print Recipe

Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Salt&Straw Ice Cream copycat

Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache is smooth and creamy fresh churned ice cream swirled with toffee-like almond brittle and slightly salty ganache cubes. It’s a Portland favorite at Salt&Straw for a reason!! And we have included a non-dairy alternative recipe that’s as good as the real thing!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Chilling Time11 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cooked candy, ganache, home-churn, ice cream

Servings: 2 pints

Author: Kim Melanson

Equipment

• Candy Thermometer
• Ice Cream Maker

Ingredients

Ice Cream Recipe:

• (reprinted from Salt&Straw Ice Cream Cookbook—see notes)
• 3 cups ice cream base—very cold (recipe follows)
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup almond brittle (recipe follows)
• ¾ cup salted ganache (recipe follows)

Non-dairy alternative Ice Cream Base:

• (based on Salt&Straw’s milk base recipe—in notes)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons coconut milk powder
• ¼ teaspoon Xanthan gum (a must have ingredient)
• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 ⅓ cups Chobani creamy oat milk
• 1 ⅓ cups Country Crock plant cream

Almond Brittle:

• (reprinted from Salt&Straw Ice Cream Cookbook—see notes)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut in 1” pieces
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ¼ cups sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Salted Ganache:

• 1 cup quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons Country Crock plant cream (or heavy cream)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Ice Cream Base:

• Combine sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• Add corn syrup and oat milk to medium pot. Stir. Then add sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth.
• Set the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk to combine.
• Transfer to a container and refrigerate until very chilled, at least 6 hours, but best at 24 hours. Stir before adding to an ice cream maker. (Can be stored for 1 week or frozen for 3 months—but fully thaw before using it.)

Almond Brittle:

• Calibrate your thermometer and adjust cooking temperature accordingly. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Add sugar, corn syrup and water to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until syrup comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes.
• Cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Add butter and salt and stir well. Attach candy thermometer and continue to cook to 290° F.
• Remove from heat. Quickly and thoroughly stir in almonds, baking soda, and vanilla. It will bubble. Quickly pour mixture on the lined baking sheet and spread with buttered knife or metal spatula until an even layer and ¼” thick. Let sit uncovered to cool—about 1 hour.
• Break into ¼" to ½” pieces. Store covered.

Salted Ganache:

• Line a bread pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
• Heat cream in microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Pour over chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Heat for another 15 seconds if needed to melt chocolate. Add salt and stir until incorporated.
• Pour into lined pan. Set in fridge to harden quickly, about 10 minutes. When hardened, cut into mini cubes ¼” x ¼”. Store in refrigerator in covered container.

Churn and Layer Ice Cream:

• Stir ice cream base and add to prepared ice cream maker. Churn until reaches soft serve stage.
• Add a few spoon-fulls of soft serve ice cream to the base of a freezer friendly container. Sprinkle with almond brittle pieces and squares of salted ganache. Swirl slightly into the ice cream base with a butter knife. Add more ice cream to the container and repeat with sprinkles of almond brittle and salted ganache. Swirl slightly. Continue to alternate with ice cream and sprinkled almond brittle and salted ganache until you top the container with the soft serve ice cream.
• Cover with parchment paper or wax paper—pressing to the surface of the ice cream (can overlap the edges of the container). Cover with a lid and place in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Will keep for 3 months.

Notes

Notes:
Salt&Straw’s Ice Cream Base: ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons dry milk, ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 1/3 cups whole milk, 1 1/3 cups heavy cream.
Use same instructions as for the alternative milk recipe.

Recipes Reprinted from: Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook. Copyright 2019 by Salt & Straw, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC